Harish Dulani, the driver of Khan's Maruti Gypsy during his 1998 hunting trip in Jodhpur, told India Today TV that Salman Khan and others had hunted down the blackbucks.

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Sharat Kumar

Jaipur

July 28, 2016

UPDATED: July 28, 2016 10:13 IST

Actor Salman Khan was recently acquitted in the 1998 case of hunting endangered animals in Rajasthan.

HIGHLIGHTS

Driver Harish Dulani is regularly attending the court dates.

Dulani had said that Khan and others had hunted down the animals.

The next hearing is scheduled on August 10.

Barely days after Bollywood star Salman Khan was acquitted from the 1998 poaching of endangered animals in Rajasthan, a key witness emerged out of obscurity Wednesday to publicly state that the actor had shot the black bucks. "I gave my statement to the court 18 years ago and stand by it," Harish Dulani, the driver of Khan's Maruti Gypsy during his 1998 hunting trip in Jodhpur, told India Today TV that traced him in the state.

In his initial court statements, Dulani had insisted that Khan and others had hunted down the chinkaras.

The star, one of Bollywood's most bankable, and seven others were charged with killing a gazelle and two antelopes over two days in Rajasthan back then. One of the animals, the prosecution said, was killed at Bhawad on the outskirts of Jodhpur on September 26, 1998 and the others at Ghoda Farms two days later.

DRIVER HARISH DULANI DENIES CLAIMS

On Monday, the Rajasthan High Court overturned his conviction and acquitted Khan of the charges, citing inadequate evidence. In his interview to India Today TV on Wednesday, the driver denied claims he had gone missing from Jodhpur.

"I haven't gone anywhere. I stay in Jodhpur and have been living here for years," Dulani said.

He, however, alleged that his father had received death threats, but did not elaborate.

"The verdict is given by the court. I respect it and don't want to say anything on this matter," Dulani maintained.

WITNESS STANDS BY HIS 18-YEAR-OLD TESTIMONY

But the driver reiterated that he stood by his 18-year-old testimony, based on which the whole trial was launched. The witness was examined by the court of the chief judicial magistrate on January 20, 2002, lawyers say.

He appeared again two months later, but Khan's counsels were not able to cross-question him that day, according to lawyers.

After that, he allegedly went missing in further sittings.

Case lawyers say he didn't appear even after numerous summons. On April 4, 2005, the court stopped calling him, finally.

A year later, the magistrate convicted Khan. The court also ordered prosecution proceedings against Dulani and another witness.

Dulani is regularly attending the court dates in connection with the countercase against him.

WHO KILLED THE ENDANGERED ANIMALS?

The next hearing is scheduled on August 10. Meantime, the superstar's acquittal has met with widespread shock, disbelief and sarcasm, with many wondering if the wheels of justice would ever turn against the rich and the powerful.

In a pun-laced post, Khan's Hum Aapke Hain Kaun co-star Renuka Shahane wrote on her Facebook "who killed the endangered animals if not the actor".